‘Then it hit me, it was me’: 2 SoCal players get big pay day on lottery scratchers

(FOX40.COM) — Two people from Los Angeles took a big win after playing a California Lottery ticket with the biggest prize being $5 million.
• Video above: Lottery odds: What’s more likely to happen than you winning?

Max Lopez decided to stop by JK Gas and Mini Market in Wilmington, which was not usually for him, according to the California Lottery. However, one afternoon changed his life when he bought a $20 “Monopoly

Scratcher” ticket that ended up being worth $5 million.

JK Gas and Mini Market is located at 950 North Avenue Boulevard.

Lopez told California Lottery officials that he was checking the California Lottery app when he noticed something unusual.

“I saw there was a big winner and thought, ‘That’s cool,’” Lopez said. “Then it hit me, it was me.”

Lopez had shared that he has been playing for years at the same neighborhood spot. He said, “I’ve been playing since day one, when it first started.”

Cleopatra Marcus joins the celebration after they won a “50X The Cash” top prize of $1 million with the ticket being purchased at 13845 Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar, California Lottery officials said.

The California Lottery mentioned that they are celebrating their 40th anniversary, and in Lopez’s 40 years of playing, he had never thought he would win more than small prizes.